The present invention pertains to the field of teleconference systems, and more particularly to a teleconference system including personal presence cells.
The human visual system is a complex system with a great ability to absorb vast amounts of information originating in many varying formats, including visual displays. Visual displays are found in varying sizes and forms in today""s world, displaying many types of information, from large visual display screens announcing scheduling information found in airports, to small visual displays, such as those incorporated into pocket calculators. Of current concern is the display of images when utilizing teleconferencing technology and teleconference display devices.
Industry experts estimate that there are as many as 10 million conference rooms world wide and approximately 10 million business meetings every day. Other studies show that 37 percent of employee time is spent in these meetings. Yet, video conferencing has not yet become widely accepted in offices and conference rooms in that current video conferencing technology cannot produce a communication environment as effective as face-to-face conversation between multi-participants (more than two).
Face-to face conversation is universally recognized as the preferred form of human communication. In a typical teleconferencing system, a pair of terminals, each with a video camera and a video display device, a microphone, and a speaker, are connected by a telecommunication link to permit face-to-face communication at a distance. However, such systems known today while utilizing this face-to-face communication standard have failed to address that communication is best when video conference communicants feel as though they are a part of a realistic multi-participant scene and feel some sense of presence between the individual local communicants and the individual distant communicants. In addition, this sense of presence includes the ability to participate with specific individual communicants when in a group conference setting.
A survey of the currently available videoconferencing systems show most systems generally fall into one of two categories: group conferencing system or single user system. The first category involves a single screen or display shared by a group of participants at a specific site, hereinafter referred to as site A, and the second category includes multiple screens thereby allowing each teleconference participant to have their own screen. During operation of a single display, or the first category type system, the screen at the local participants site displays an image of a group of participants at a remote site or remote sites. Interaction is through shared audio, video and data equipment. Sophistication of this type of system and their ability to capture the nuances of human interaction is in the design of speakers, microphones, cameras, display terminals, the data coding and multiplexing techniques and transmission technology.
The second category type system involves the use of multiple screens, such as personal computers, for each participant thereby allowing them to interact with other members of the conference from their own office or any other remote site, as long as it is properly equipped. However, capturing of human interaction nuances, such as eye contact, simultaneous observation of body language of various participants within the meeting, can be severely limited, since each site is isolated. Attempts have been made to overcome these limitations by creating systems that capture the images of each individual participant and reposition these images onto an artificial background, so they appear to be in a meeting room together. These systems do not succeed in bringing the nuances of human interaction to the forefront. In fact, it could be argued that they add an extra layer of separation amongst the participants.
Thus, there is a need for a teleconferencing system that creates a realistic presence amongst the sites and between the individual local and distant participants.
It is a purpose of the present invention to provide for a new and improved teleconference system that provides for the use of personal presence cells to create a realistic presence of participants utilizing the teleconference system including the display of personal interaction nuances.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide for a new and improved teleconference system that provides for visual and audio equipment, thereby generating a real sense of participation between a local participant and a distant participant.
It is yet still another purpose of the present invention to provide for teleconference between a single local participant and multiple remote participants, or between multiple local participants and multiple remote participants, while maintaining a real sense of presence between all participants utilizing the system.
The above problems and others are substantially solved and the above purposes and others are realized in a teleconference system including a plurality of personal presence cells positioned at a local site and at least one remote site. Each personal presence cell is characterized as either a sensor cell or a display cell. Each sensor cell serves to sense, or capture information such as audio, and video of a local participant. The display cell serves to present a realistic duplication of a remote participant viewable by the local participant. The plurality of personal presence cells are interfaced by a transmission link which provides for the transmission of information between the plurality of personal presence cells.